152 companies are already confirmed to exhibit at Brand Licensing Europe 2021, with seven weeks to go and more expected to sign. The announcement coincides with the launch of the event’s online platform. Anyone who is registered for BLE can drop off a virtual business card, search the exhibitor list or IP directory and start booking meetings for both the in-person and online events through the Matchmaking function, sponsored by Flowhaven.  

BLE runs in person from Nov. 17-19 at ExCeL London with a follow-up online event from Nov. 30-Dec. 1. As the first in-person licensing event to take place in more than two years, BLE boasts a wide range of exhibitors from around the globe with strong representation of Europeans and internationals as well as the U.K., covering the full spectrum of categories from sports to animation, heritage and gaming.  

Exhibitors to date include: 

 
"It's been a long time since we've been able to connect with our licensees face to face and look at their amazing products together,” says Alexandra Sanson, brand manager, Magic Light Pictures. “We are so excited to reconnect with them in a physical space and to be able to display our beautiful, licensed collections and brands at BLE." 

“TF1 Licenses' whole team is really excited to attend this year’s BLE,” says Cécile Chevalier, marketing manager, TF1 Licenses. “We missed meeting our partners in person and we missed seeing all the great projects in 3D rather than behind a screen. BLE is the biggest European event for the licensing business and we’re looking forward to the new experience of this hybrid event.” 

"We are really excited to be able to go to BLE again and meet all our partners during the event, and at the ‘after events’ too,” says Waell Oueslati, director, acquisitions and licensing EMEA, Crunchyroll. 

As well as facilitating introductions, IP discovery and meeting bookings, the online platform will host on-demand educational content and exhibitor trailers. This content will go live after the in-person event ends on Nov. 20 and follow-up meetings will be available during BLE Virtual on Nov. 30 and Dec. 1.  

The online meetings function, sponsored by Flowhaven, was launched at BLE (and sister show Licensing Expo) five years ago. In its first year, more than 1,200 business meetings were arranged and 13,783 online profiles created. In 2019, when BLE was last in-person, these stats had rocketed to 3,129 meetings.  

“We’re just seven weeks away from meeting up in person again at BLE and to know we will have more than 150 companies from across the world exhibiting in London and/or online is fantastic news for the industry and for our visitors,” says Anna Knight, vice president, licensing, Informa Markets. “I think it’s fair to say we have all missed that face-to-face time, and it will be wonderful to kick start connections and provide inspiration and food for thought for the European licensing industry once more. And for those attending online, I promise you will not miss out. We will be streaming sessions, vox pop and exhibitor interviews filmed at BLE in London, as well as exclusive, never-before-seen content created for the virtual platform.” 

Register to attend Brand Licensing Europe 2021 for free now by clicking here. To learn about exhibiting, click here.